19th-century French painting · art-to-room palette

The Cottage by the Roadside, Stormy Sky Color Palette & Paint Colors

This palette is built from warm browns, olive-stone tones, and a pale parchment cream, all taken from a painting of a roadside cottage under a stormy sky. It suits rooms that should feel grounded and quiet, such as a living room, study, or bedroom with natural wood.

Quick answer

Use the pale cream #E2D9AE (LRV 69) on the main walls so the room stays bright. Put the khaki stone #AAA37F on larger furniture or a secondary wall, the dark umber #4A3F2C on one accent wall or built-ins, the walnut #776A4D on wood pieces, and the sage gray #828B7A on textiles like cushions or curtains.

Artist: Jules Dupré
Date: c. 1860
Movement: 19th-century French painting
Collection: The Art Institute of Chicago
Image license: Public domain (CC0)
Wall color LRV: 69

The Cottage by the Roadside, Stormy Sky by Jules Dupré — Jules Dupré, *The Cottage by the Roadside, Stormy Sky*, c. 1860. The Art Institute of Chicago, open access. The bar shows each color's measured share of the canvas.

The 6 colors in this painting

Measured from the image and ordered by how much of the canvas they cover. LRV is how much light a color reflects, from 0 for black to 100 for white.

Dark umber brown

#4A3F2C · 24% · LRV 5

Khaki olive stone

#AAA37F · 22.7% · LRV 36

Near-black bark brown

#382F24 · 20% · LRV 3

Pale parchment cream

#E2D9AE · 13.9% · LRV 69

Warm walnut taupe

#776A4D · 10.7% · LRV 15

Sage gray green

#828B7A · 8.7% · LRV 25

Where each color lives in the painting

Left, every pixel of the canvas snapped to its nearest palette color. Right, the detail where each color is strongest.

The Cottage by the Roadside, Stormy Sky reduced to its palette colors — The same scene in 6 flat colors.

Detail of the painting where Dark umber brown is strongest — Dark umber brown

Detail of the painting where Khaki olive stone is strongest — Khaki olive stone

Detail of the painting where Near-black bark brown is strongest — Near-black bark brown

Detail of the painting where Pale parchment cream is strongest — Pale parchment cream

Detail of the painting where Warm walnut taupe is strongest — Warm walnut taupe

Detail of the painting where Sage gray green is strongest — Sage gray green

Closest paint colors

The nearest color from each brand. “Near-identical” and “Very close” are hard to tell apart on a wall; with “Similar”, compare a sample with the painting. Brands with nothing close are left out.

Painting color	Closest paints	LRV	Use it for
Dark umber brown `#4A3F2C`	Behr S-H-710 Dried Leaf Close Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Close Valspar 6009-3 Montana Moss Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar	5	One bold piece
Khaki olive stone `#AAA37F`	Valspar 6004-4A Grassland Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 42 Ruskin Room Green Very close Behr PPU9-22 Cricket Very close Farrow & Ball No. 19 Lichen Close	36	Bed, sofa, curtains
Near-black bark brown `#382F24`	Behr N210-7 Havana Coffee Similar Sherwin-Williams SW 9183 Dark Clove Similar Farrow & Ball No. 256 Pitch Black Similar Valspar 6011-1 Fired Earth Similar	3	Small accents, art, accessories
Pale parchment cream `#E2D9AE`	Behr HDC-CT-27A Fresh Willow Near-identical Farrow & Ball No. 71 Pale Hound Very close Valspar 6007-5B Plum Passion Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6414 Rice Paddy Very close	69	Main walls
Warm walnut taupe `#776A4D`	Behr PPU8-01 Olive Very close Valspar 6009-4 Moss Mulch Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 2843 Roycroft Brass Close Farrow & Ball No. 290 Salon Drab Similar	15	Wood and frames
Sage gray green `#828B7A`	Valspar 5006-4B Ginkgo Tree Very close Farrow & Ball No. 79 Card Room Green Very close Sherwin-Williams SW 6193 Privilege Green Very close Behr QE-45 Thistle Close	25	One small textile

Paint names belong to their brands. Matches are measured from screen colors and are approximate; Light & Pigment is not affiliated with any paint brand.

How pale parchment cream looks in your light

The wall color shifted for the light it will live in. Check the version closest to your room before buying a sample.

North-facing room#C9C7B0

North light is cooler and softer, so the cream wall will look a little grayer and flatter. The warm yellow undertone helps keep it from feeling cold.

South-facing room#E8DCB2

Strong south light brings out the warm yellow in the cream and makes it look bright and creamy. Expect the room to feel sunny through most of the day.

Evening, warm lamps (2700K)#C1AD81

Under warm evening bulbs, the cream turns golden and cozy. The browns and khaki will deepen, so the room will feel settled and warm after dark.

Try the palette in a room

Pick which painting color goes on the walls, the big furniture and the bold piece. Floors, shadows and light follow your choices.

Walls

Bed, sofa, island

Bold piece

Wood takes Warm walnut taupe and the rug border takes Sage gray green in every combination.

Mood board

Details from the painting next to the colors and materials that carry them into a room.

Pale parchment cream

Khaki olive stone

Dark umber brown

Linen

Oiled oak

Lime plaster

Aged brass

Palette card for The Cottage by the Roadside, Stormy Sky

Save this palette

A card with the painting, all 6 colors and a room scheme. Pin it, or take it to the paint store.

Save to Pinterest Download card

Guides that use colors from this painting

Brown Roof House Colors: Four Exterior Schemes That Work Brown roof

More palettes like this

Lucie Berard (Child in White) Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 1883

The Storm Pierre-Auguste Cot, 1880

The Road to Market Constant Troyon, 1858–59

FAQ

Can I paint a whole room in the cream #E2D9AE?

Yes, it works well as a full-room wall color because its LRV of 69 reads light and reflects light around the room. Balance it with the darker browns in furniture, wood, and textiles so the room does not feel flat.

Which shade should I use for trim or doors?

The near-black bark brown #382F24 (LRV 3) is the deepest tone in the palette and gives strong contrast against the cream walls. For a softer look, use the dark umber #4A3F2C instead.

Will these darker colors make a small room feel closed in?

They can, so keep the dark umber and near-black to one accent wall, built-ins, or trim. Let the pale cream cover most of the wall space to keep a small room feeling open.

Image: The Art Institute of Chicago, Public domain (CC0). Palette, posterized image, details and room views generated by Light & Pigment from that image. Colors look different on screen than on a wall, so always test a sample.